


Lon Gulch Fever

by mcschnuggles



Series: The Regression Zone [10]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Merle, Gen, Regressing!Taako, Sickfic, caregiver!magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-19 11:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22810270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Taako caught something on their latest adventure. Not fun for anyone.
Relationships: Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch & Taako
Series: The Regression Zone [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551574
Comments: 43
Kudos: 99
Collections: Regressuary, Regressuary 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Jeez, this is going to be so long and it'll take forever to write. I can't possibly justify this for Regressuary  
> My brain, kicking down a door: DID SOMEONE SAY POST ANOTHER MULTI-CHAP??  
> Me: This is literally the problem we're trying to fix

Magnus can’t help but worry.

It’s a part of his nature, no matter how many times Taako tells him not to. That’s their dynamic. He’s the worrywart, and Merle’s the one with common sense.

Well on this particular morning, he immediately gets the feeling something is wrong. Taako hasn’t come out of his room yet, which can mean a number of things and none of them good.

“It’s only noon.” Merle says. “He’s probably just sleeping in.”

Magnus nods. “You’re probably right.”

His Taako-sense starts really freaking out when three p.m. rolls around and there’s still no sign of their resident flip wizard.

“He likes to sleep.” Merle tries to reason, but Magnus is already out of his chair and heading for Taako’s door. It’s a mutual trust between them all to never keep their doors locked. With Taako’s night terrors, among a number of other things, it just makes sense to have all their rooms open to any kiddos that might pop up in the middle of the night.

He knocks once, gently rapping his knuckles against the door. It barely makes a sound, but Taako’s always been a light sleeper. It’ll be enough to make him stir.

Magnus waits, hearing no sound of movement from the other side of the door. Usually Taako will at least roll over or—if he’s feeling particularly regressed—whine a bit.

Something is wrong.

Magnus knocks once more, mainly out of courtesy than anything else, and pushes inside. The room is quiet, the air stale with sick. A Taako-sized lump sits underneath the blankets.

“Taako?” Magnus calls. “It’s time to wake up, honey.”

The lump still doesn’t move.

Dread coiling in his stomach, Magnus makes his way over to Taako’s bed. The smell of sick only intensifies as he peels back the covers, to find Taako a shivering, sweating mess. His eyes are half-open but extremely unfocused, and his nose is running. The curves of his mouth are pulled down in an almost permanent grimace. He’s wearing a New Elfington State hoodie, but his hands are cold to the touch. In contrast, his forehead is burning.

Taako whines at the sudden disruption to his environment. It’s too much cold and light and touch at once, and the only way he can voice his protests is by whining, which unfortunately sets off a powerful coughing fit.

“Oh, this can’t be good.” Magnus tries to shush him, to no avail.

Taako sniffs. He still hasn’t said anything, and from the way he’s rubbing his throat, he probably won’t say anything anytime soon. Another shiver rattles his frame, and he gropes blindly for the blanket.

With a sigh, Magnus tucks him back in. Taako shies away from the touch, venturing another whine of discomfort that only incites another round of coughing.

“I’ll call the doctor.”

* * *

Dr. Alaina Malva is the Bureau of Balance’s head physician. Not only is she extremely competent, but she’s had her fair amount of experience with Taako’s regressed side, so she’s the immediate choice.

Magnus calls her while Merle calls Lucretia, hoping to get their bases covered as quickly as possible. Sickness spreads pretty easily in such tight quarters, so any illnesses have to be reported immediately in case of a quarantine. That, and they’re sure Lulu would like to do a little bit of spoiling when she hears how bad off Taako is.

Magnus doesn’t need any second opinion to know Taako’s doing awful. He always employs a bit of dramatics when he’s not feeling well, from dramatic crocodile tears all the way up to writing his last will and testament. No, it’s when he goes quiet, when he stays curled up under the covers and doesn’t even have the energy to stand up, that lets Magnus know he’s deeply unwell.

The dark elf rushes through the door. Her hair is pulled in a tight bun, and she’s carrying a medical bag filled to bursting. Ever focused on her goal, she offers Magnus and Merle simple hellos before making a beeline for Taako’s room.

A soft coo of sympathy slips from her lips. It’s a sorry sight. Taako isn’t letting anyone touching him, whining and squirming and subsequently coughing whenever anyone tries, so he’s curled up askew against a mountain of pillows, sniffling sadly as he clutches Chester in a feeble hold. From what Magnus can tell, he’s pretty achy too, making it even harder for him to get comfortable and sleep.

Dr. Malva kneels by the bed, making sure she’s eye level with Taako while still keeping her space. Unfortunately (and Magnus and Lucretia have tried to make it up to her many times over), being a doctor, she’s borne the brunt of Taako’s fussiest behavior, so she knows better than to get too close right away. “Hi there, honey. How are you feeling?”

“He won’t answer.” Magnus says. “I think it hurts him to talk.”

“Is that true, honey?”

Taako nods.

Dr. Malva offers a sympathy pout. “Poor thing. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible.” She pulls out a tongue depressor and an otoscope from her bag. “Open up, little one.”

Taako whines and shakes his head, which only works to set off yet another round of coughing. The force of which has him doubling over his knees, Chester slipping from his grasp.

“Oh, honey, I know it hurts.” Dr. Malva coos. “I’m sorry. But the sooner we figure out what’s wrong, the sooner we can help you feel better, yeah?”

Taako fixes her with a hard stare, saying nothing.

“And,” she adds, her voice turning conspiratorial, “I may just have a nice popsicle with your name on it. You like popsicles, don’t you, dear?”

Taako nods at that.

“Think you can let me look around the inside of your mouth, then?”

Half-resigned, half-exhausted, Taako does as she asks.

“He _really_ isn’t feeling well if he’s listening this well.” Dr. Malva jokes.

But even with that on her side, she doesn’t get more than a minute until Taako grimaces, pulls away, and snaps his mouth shut.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She turns to Magnus and Merle, who are admittedly hovering. “Infection and swelling, probably a weaker strain of strep. All the drainage isn’t helping either.”

She takes her wand from her pocket, which has Taako scooting backward.

“Oh, it’s okay, honey. No need to fuss. I can take your temperature just like this.” She taps the tip of her wand on his forehead, causing it to glow a soft red. After a few seconds, it spits out a set of glowing numbers, _102_.

“Is that good for elves?” Magnus asks.

Dr. Malva shakes her head. “102 is just as bad for humans as it is for elves. Just out of curiosity, where were you adventuring around before he got sick?”

“Round’s Rock Isles?”

Dr. Malva sighs. “That’ll do it. Looks like our guy’s come down with a case of Lon Gulch Fever.”

Magnus furrows his brow. “But we were there too, we ate all the same foods. Why aren’t we sick?”

“It only affects elves.”

Magnus’s eyes widen. “Taako’s one of those!”

“It’s not…life-threatening or anything, right?” Merle asks. Now that Dr. Malva has moved back, he’s taken her place at Taako’s bedside. His hands are raised, halfway in the middle of casting a minor healing spell to ease some of Taako’s discomfort.

“No, Lon Gulch Fever usually blows over within a week. It’ll just be a very unpleasant week for everyone involved. He should be under quarantine just in case, but you two should be fine to take care of him without risking infection.”

“So what’s the prognosis?”

“Dr. Malva prescribes bedrest and fluids. Maybe something minor to help with the aches and pains, probably a sleep aid at night, because his body needs rest now more than ever. Miss Alaina prescribes cuddles and popsicles. Also, and this is going to sound weird, but a television in his room. Just something to play in the background while he dozes so he doesn’t get too restless. I want him out of that bed as little as possible.”

She wipes a disinfectant cloth over the tip of her wand and otoscope.

“Does he have a medicinal paci?”

Magnus makes a face. “He’s too old for pacis.” Not to mention too prideful. He can only imagine the hell Taako would raise if that was even suggested to him, especially now, when he’s fussy and hurting and doesn’t want anyone touching him.

Dr. Malva casts a sidelong glance at Taako, who at some point in their conversation, drifted off with his thumb in his mouth. “Maybe try bringing it up. It’ll be an easy way to get him cough syrup, especially if he’s dozing. I don’t think I need to tell you how unsanitary that is.”

Magnus opts not to tell her how Taako regressed for a few minutes on their adventure, during which he definitely had his thumb in his mouth at one point.

She pulls out two pacifiers from her bag, both sized for babies, and taps her wand against them. They puff up to appropriate Taako size. “Once his fever breaks, disinfect everything as soon as you can. Wash his sheets and get him to shower. The steam should help. Other than that, maybe try a couple healing spells every few hours, maybe get him a bell so he can call you without speaking, and, uh, good luck.”

“Good luck?” Magnus echoes.

Dr. Malva offers a sympathetic smile. “I’ve seen that kid when he doesn’t wanna take a nap. You’re gonna need it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short fluffy chapter to apologize for not updating this for so long ;-;

Magnus and Merle decide to let Taako sleep. Poor little guy probably needs all the sleep he can get.

Merle takes the time to parse through his healing cantrips, zeroing in on the ones focused on healing aches and pains, as well as those that are geared toward soothing fussy babies to sleep.

Magnus, on the other hand, spends his time making as many orange juice popsicles as he can possibly make. While he and Merle can’t get sick themselves, they’re still carriers, so Lucretia put their dorm under quarantine until Taako’s fever breaks.

Once word spread, people were leaving their offerings at the door. There’s the entire Caleb Cleveland, Kid Cop series from Angus. Carey and Killian left a care package consisting of both the medicines Merle asked for and a bonus coloring book. Try as she might to look grumpy all the time, even Killian can’t resist when Taako hugs her arm and calls her “Kill’yin.” Lucretia was more than happy to supply the suggested bell, complete with a note that says “thank you for your service. I respect our troops.” She added in a couple of storybooks she keeps in her office for Magnus and Taako.

They have Taako’s Stone of Farspeech set up like a baby monitor, so they’ll know the second he stirs. He’s snoring softly right now, his breathing heavy and uneven, interrupted by shallow coughs.

He and Merle mostly don’t talk. After all, there isn’t much that can be said, and internally, they’re both bracing for the worst.

The hardest part will be finding out what Taako’s headspace is currently. He seemed pretty young earlier, but with Taako, that’s subject to change at the drop of a hat. An older headspace would be easier to reason with. Getting him medicine would be easier, but he’d also have to be bribed. A lot. Teen Taako especially is probably the most stubborn being Magnus has ever met.

And while six-and-under Taako can be cajoled into doing things he doesn’t want to do some times, he’s also more prone to tantrums and crying, and Magnus isn’t sure his poor heart can take two weeks of that.

It’s not going to be an easy couple of weeks.

Rustling echoes from their Stone of Farspeech.

“Hi, Taako.” Merle coos. Magnus starts, because he doesn’t think he’s ever heard Merle’s voice go that soft. “We’re in the other room, honey. We’ll be in soon.”

A series of coughs answers him.

“That cough is sounding pretty bad.” Merle says. “I’m gonna use some of the painkilling spells if you wanna get him some medicine.”

“Cool.” Magnus trails off. Merle’s right about the cough, and it would probably be best to get him medicine as soon as possible. “I was thinking maybe we should try getting him used to the pacifier?”

Merle snorts. “Good luck with that.”

“You’re not going to help?”

Merle barks a laugh. “Absolutely not. You have fun with that. I’ll make sure to have a nice eulogy written by the time you’re done.”

Magnus looks at the twin packaging like it’s rigged with explosives. “He’s going to go feral.”

“Most likely.” Merle replies, as helpful as ever. After a moment of consideration, he adds, “You go first. He’ll like me better because of it.”

Magnus makes sure to flip him off as they make their way into Taako’s room. He’s hoping that on the off chance that Taako is awake and lucid, the sight will make him smile, but his room is just as silent as it was earlier this afternoon.

Taako is still propped up against his mountain of pillows, the covers pulled up over his head. Only a few tufts of blonde hair are visible, and if it weren’t for the lump squirming and whining and subsequently coughing every few moments, Magnus would assume he’d fallen back asleep.

Magnus and Merle share a look, and when Merle makes it clear that he’s not going to be doing anything that could make him fall out of grace with their sickly tantrum machine, Magnus has no choice but to speak up.

“Hi, honey.”

Taako pokes his head up from under the blankets. He blinks up at them, thumb planted firmly between his lips, fingers curled around his nose. Drowsiness laces every movement.

Magnus wrinkles his nose, trying not to visibly wince at the mucus dripping from his nose and smeared over his hand. “We’ve got something for you.”

Slowly, like he’s trying not to startle a cat, Magnus reveals the set of pacifiers. They’ll start with the medicinal one, so they can get some medicine in his system and hopefully do something about that cough.

Taako’s eyes adjust slowly, but Magnus can tell the exact moment Taako recognizes what he’s looking at. Magnus cringes, braced for the worst, but Taako’s reply stuns him.

“Ooo,” he coos. The sound is soft, and so is the resulting cough.

Magnus blinks. Out of all the reactions he was anticipating, this was probably near the bottom of the list. “Do you want to try it out?”

Taako nods.

“Alright.” He probably should’ve actually put the medicine in earlier, but in Magnus’s defense, he had no idea it would be this easy to get Taako to take a paci. Just how little is he if he can’t even put up a fuss?

Despite his earlier ribbing, Merle does try and help out. He retrieves Chester, who had fallen to the floor at some point, and places him against Taako’s chest. It would be a decent distraction even if Magnus weren’t trying to give him a pacifier, but considering the current situation, it works like a charm.

He takes the pacifier without a fuss, and his arm flops lifelessly against his side. It must have been hurting him to have his arm tucked up against him like that, so maybe that had played a role in getting him so compliant.

“Does that feel better?” Magnus asks.

Taako nods. He’s not really listening, not when the shiny new paci has so much of his attention. He keeps going cross-eyed looking at it, one finger tracing the bumps on the ring with his other hand.

“You like it?”

Taako nods again. From the droop of his eyes, he’s only a few seconds off from falling back asleep.

“I know.” Magnus coos. “You can go back to sleep in a second.” Okay, so maybe the medicine can wait until later. The healing magic seems to be doing just fine on its own. He isn’t sure who supplied all the baby wipes, but he’s incredibly grateful to have something to wipe Taako’s hands clean with.

Merle casts a healing spell, which helps Taako settle as he’s tucked back in. Taako yawns one last big yawn and rolls over, latching onto Chester and finally going back to sleep.

“That went better than expected.” Merle comments.

“No thanks to you.” Magnus sniffs.

“I gave the kid his toy! Besides, you looked like you had it handled. I didn’t want to intervene.”

Magnus makes sure to flip him off extra hard for that one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter. Sorry! I guess this fic in particular just loans itself better to shorter updates?

The only problem is that in the next few days it’s near impossible to get Taako’s paci away from him.

They can switch them out, which does wonders for getting him Fantasy Nyquil, but they aren’t allowed to just leave him paci-less. Which leads to the bigger problem.

Meal times.

He’s been throwing up, and from what Magnus and Merle can piece together, he’s almost constantly nauesous, so the last thing he wants to do is eat. Magnus has been able to coax him into a few pieces of toast and some crackers, but anything other than that is out of the question, and it’s starting to show.

Taako’s been sleeping more, and his skin has gone from pale to outright lifeless. Honestly, it’s kind of scary, and the uneven, sometimes undetectable rise and fall of his chest has given Magnus a scare more than once.

Logically, he knows that it would take a lot more than an illness to kill Taako. He’s in the prime of his life, and he’s defied death plenty of times before and he surely will again, but he’s so _small_ right now.

Magnus has never seen Taako this young.

He’s so tiny, so little, Magnus barely knows what to do. It doesn’t help that Merle only lends a hand when asked, and usually tries to keep his reputation as the fun one by completely siding with Taako. Meaning that Magnus has to be the mean one, which is even harder when Taako is sick and hurting and wholly uncooperative.

Which is where they’re at right now.

“Taako, please?”

“Mm-mm!”

“You’ve gotta eat, bud. I know you’re feeling bad, but how about just a few bites, huh?”

“No!” Taako hides his face behind Chester, knowing any chance he uses to speak might be the same chance Maggie uses to take the paci right out of his mouth.

Magnus frowns. Taako hasn’t eaten at all today, despite it being around three in the afternoon. Even if he doesn’t want to eat much, Magnus would prefer he eat _something_ before dinnertime rolls around.

He sighs, resigned to his position of “the bad guy” once again.

“Taako, I’m sorry!”

Before Taako can ask or even just look confused, Magnus clamps his nose shut.

Taako’s face shifts through multiple stages of betrayal, lingering on the anger stage for a disproportionate amount of time. Magnus can’t blame him. He’d be pissed too if he were on the receiving end of this, but Taako really needs to eat!

Taako’s face has turned an alarming shade of blue by the time he finally opens his mouth to gasp for air, and Magnus wastes no time yanking the paci out of his mouth and replacing it with a spoonful of soup.

Taako’s expression twists, showing just how much he hates the taste. He works his jaw, like he’s about to spit out the entire spoon, regardless of the mess it’ll make.

“Nope. Swallow it.” Magnus says. He adjusts the spoon so it sits more on Taako’s bottom lip, making it easier for him to drink.

Taako glares, which would’ve been funny if Magnus didn’t feel so bad, but he does relent and swallow the mouthful of soup.

“Good job, buddy!” Magnus praises. Taako tries to keep on his angry face, but nothing could disguise the delighted shade of pink he turns at being praised. “How about another one, huh?”

Taako narrows his eyes, pouting like he’s weighing his options. Magnus doesn’t even have a chance to bargain before Taako’s foot shoots out, kicking the bowl of soup right out of Magnus’s hands and into his face.

Magnus sighs as chicken noodle soup drips from his bangs. His only regret is not anticipating Taako would do that sooner.

It’s just that Taako has been so quiet lately, like he doesn’t even have the energy to be a brat. Magnus loves his friend no matter what, but he won’t lie that sweet baby Taako has been a welcome reprieve, especially with what he’d been anticipating.

Taako has his mouth hidden behind Chester again, but the shaking of his shoulders gives away his silent laughter.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Magnus challenges. He has half a mind to break out the tickle monster, but he remembers that he’s dealing with a sickly toddler right now. He wipes the soup from his eyes with his sleeve. “Well, you’re probably right. Why don’t we just shoot for a popsicle instead?”

Taako frowns and shakes his head.

“You don’t want a popsicle either?”

He shakes his head again.

“What about some toast? Maybe some crackers?”

No and no.

“Buddy, you have to eat _something_.”

Taako glares, once again hiding behind Chester, with a look that says “says you.”

Magnus sighs. “Do I have to resort to bribery? I can resort to bribery if it means you’ll eat.”

Taako knows just as well as Magnus does that he can get anything he wants purely because he’s sick. Bribery means nothing in the lawless land of quarantine.

Magnus tries to look tough, even though he’d rather crumble. This is so much harder than he thought it’d be. “What about ice cream? You can’t have it right now, but as soon as you’re better we can have a special ice cream party!”

It was a fine effort. It did encourage recovery, but it might have been more effective if Magnus wasn’t currently talking to a toddler with no sense of delayed gratification.

Taako sinks back into the pillows, peeking behind Chester until only his forehead is visible.

“Okay, fine.” Magnus relents. He knows he’s made the right decision by the way Taako perks up—not because he’s victorious, but because he’s relieved. “I’ll cut my losses at a mouthful of chicken noodle soup.”

He sets the bowl aside and takes off his hoodie, using it to mop up the last of the soup on his face. He’ll get a proper shower later, after Taako’s asleep, but for now he just needs to be dry.

A frustrated whine catches his attention, and he looks up to see Taako reaching out a hand, giving him the saddest eyes and the cutest grabby hands possible.

Magnus drops his gaze, realizing he never gave back the paci. There it is, still hooked around his pinkie finger. “Right, paci. Sorry, bud. Here you go.”

And while Taako wastes no time popping it back in his mouth, the grabby hands persist. It takes a beat, but Magnus realizes that Taako is reaching for _him_. “Stay, p’ease?” Taako clarifies after a moment.

Magnus’s heart bursts, and for a moment, he completely forgets about having soup kicked into his face. “Well, I can’t say no to that.” Magnus says, sliding into the bed beside Taako.

He wonders if Taako realizes what a potent weapon he has. Magnus couldn’t say no to the “p’ease” if he tried.

Once they’re both settled, with the proper amount of blankets allocated to both parties, Taako nuzzles against Magnus’s chest. His hands are icy to the touch, but his forehead is as warm as always.

He waits until Taako is settled before he starts to sing Taako’s favorite Elven lullaby.

_Sleep, little elfling, the moonbeams will guide you by the hand/ Through the universe and the stars and show you the world/ Don’t blind your eyes to the truths that reveal themselves/ But remember the future is fluid_

Frankly, it sounds a lot better in Elvish.

Even with Magnus’s less-than-stellar singing voice, Taako is asleep in only a few minutes. Magnus carefully brushes Taako’s sweaty bangs away from his forehead, wondering if he could use another dose of medicine. Maybe not right away, considering that Taako’s breathing is just fine at the moment. He’s making those cute snuffling noises, but he doesn’t sound like he’s very badly congested.

Unfortunately, this presents another problem—Magnus is no longer allowed to get up. At minimum, he has a few hours before Taako’s deeply enough asleep for him to sneak out undetected. However, if he underestimates that amount of time, they’re bound to start the cycle all over again.

He reaches for the book of crosswords on Taako’s nightstand. At least he thought ahead for this. He’ll definitely have to give Carey and Killian the biggest thank-you hugs for all the extra stuff they dropped off.

Well into his third crossword—frankly, he’s getting too good at an activity he finds utterly boring—Taako begins to stir. He shifts, and Magnus can feel just how heated his forehead has become. He might need medicine sooner rather than later. If only Merle was doing literally anything to help instead of just hiding in his room.

Magnus is trying not to get too frustrated, but it’s hard when he’s the one shouldering most of the work. He just doesn’t understand why this is any different than any other time Taako’s regressed, but that’s not an argument he wants to have with a fussy, clingy toddler on his hip.

Magnus hushes Taako before he has the chance to get too fussy, knowing he’s probably just uncomfortable. It won’t do any good for him to wake back up, so Magnus launches back into the Elvish lullaby again. He’s sure he’ll be sick of it before the week is over, considering how well it works. Taako settles back against Magnus’s chest without so much as a whimper.

It’s strange, though. Magnus hadn’t thought of this right away, but being stuck singing the same four lines of Elvish on a loop gives a man time to think. Even though he speaks Elvish, he has no memory of ever learning any lullabies. But when Taako started having trouble sleeping, it was natural, almost instinctual, for the Elvish lyrics to flow from his mouth.

He wonders where he picked that up…


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An unfortunate thing to realize in the middle of writing a sickfic is how bad you are at writing sickfics :/

_Things Taako has eaten today:_

_\- A cracker_

_\- 1 (one) orange juice popsicle_

_\- Half a piece of toast_

Magnus sighs, carefully scratching out the last two items, which Taako ended up vomiting up not fifteen minutes after Magnus convinced him to eat them.

Magnus has given up on the soup altogether. Not just because it’s been futile, but also because they’re out of soup. Anything that hasn’t been kicked into Magnus’s face has been thrown up.

Poor Taako can barely keep anything down for more than an hour, and his fever’s been blazing. And yeah, Magnus has had more than a couple of panicked calls to Dr. Malva, but she suggested a cool cloth for his forehead. They’re nowhere near hospitalization yet, and they probably won’t have to be, but Magnus still keeps vigilant.

At the very least, Taako’s getting some sleep at the moment. It’s been near impossible to put him to bed, but Magnus is starting to find the rhythm.

He doesn’t like being alone, but at the same time, he doesn’t always want to be cuddled. From what little Magnus could get out of him, it sounds like he’s achy all over, and too much personal contact just makes him feel worse.

So Magnus tries to stay in the room for as long as he can. Sometimes Taako will leave him enough space to sit on the bed beside him, but other times he has to sit on the floor. Those instances have been few and far between though. Achy or not, most of the time Taako just wants to be held.

Familiar footsteps shuffle into the kitchen behind him, and Magnus can’t stop the next comment out of his mouth.

“Wow, Merle, you know, I wouldn’t even think we were quarantined together seeing as how little I’ve seen of you.” Magnus didn’t mean to say that like a disapproving parent, but it’s hard to deny how frustrated he is.

“Good morning to you too, grumpy.”

Magnus glances at the wall clock to see that it’s ten in the morning. Time lost its relevance a while ago, with no natural daylight and no schedule to keep him on track. That, and with Taako needing regular doses of medicine, he really hasn’t been keeping track of what time it is.

“Are you even going to _try_ helping?”

“You’re better with the kid than I am.” Merle says dismissively.

“You’re a _healer!_ ”

“Yeah, and everyone agrees I’m not a very good one.”

Okay, the aggression obviously isn’t getting them anywhere. In fact, Magnus can’t think of many methods that would make Merle want to leave quicker. So for the moment, he shakes off his frustrations and tries seeing things from Merle’s perspective. There has to be a reason he’s being avoidant. He wouldn’t just ditch Taako for no reason. Because he loves Taako.

“Is it because he’s so little?” Magnus asks. “Because I promise you that not much has changed. He kicked soup in my face yesterday.”

The abrupt change in tone gives Merle pause, and maybe if Merle were more of the sharing type, that would’ve been enough. At the very least, it shows Magnus is on the right path.

There’s barely a beat before the opening is gone, and Merle is back to being defensive. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Merle scoffs.

“It’s because it’s gross, isn’t it?” It’s a shot in the dark, but again, it has to be something. “Because there’s a lot of vomit and snot?”

Merle rolls his eyes. “This conversation sucks. I’ll see you later.”

“You can’t hide forever!” Magnus calls after him. “There are only like four rooms!”

Merle’s bedroom door slams shut behind him, leaving Magnus to his own devices.

With a sigh, he checks the time again. Taako probably won’t be asleep for more than a handful of hours, so he should probably try and shower where he can.

~

After spending the rest of the day completely asleep, Taako woke up (at appromixately 3:13 a.m., mind you) more alert and infinitely more fussy.

_Ring… ring… ring…_

Magnus hears it first. Or maybe he hears it second and Merle is just better at ignoring it. Either way, Magnus rubs the sleep out of his eyes, fights back the utter feeling of exhaustion, and shuffles his way into Taako’s bedroom.

“Hey, bud.” Magnus greets. He flicks on the living room light so Taako won’t have to deal with a sudden change in brightness. His head’s probably been hurting too.

Taako blinks lazily at him, chewing at his bottom lip. When had he lost his paci? Magnus would probably have to go looking for that after he got Taako back to sleep.

Taako has a little more color in his face, his cheeks flushed and feverish, and his hair is mussed in probably the wildest case of bedhead Magnus has ever seen from him.

Taako whimpers, his hand clasped around his throat.

“Oh, your throat hurts, buddy?” Magnus asks. “I’ll go get you an orange juice popsicle, okay?”

Taako whines, this time more insistently, stretching his hand out in Magnus’s direction.

Magnus stops short. Grabby hands, of course. “Come on, buddy. I can’t give you hugs and get you a popsicle at the same time. I’ve only got two hands!”

To prove just how little he cares, Taako continues his grabby hands and sits up a little straight, just to add a threat to the mix.

“You wanna go with me?” Magnus guesses. He doesn’t mean for his voice to go so soft. It’s just that Taako can be really cute without meaning to. “Is your tummy gonna be alright with that?”

Taako’s only response is continued grabby hands, so Magnus gets the feeling he doesn’t really care either way. Here’s to hoping that he won’t throw up over Magnus’s shoulder.

“Come on then.” He scoops Taako up as carefully as he can manage, holding Taako against his shoulder. Taako wraps his arms around Magnus’s neck, resting his forehead against the curve of Magnus’s shoulder. Magnus can feel the heat coming off his forehead. Not as blazing as it was earlier, so at least the rest has been doing him so good. With any luck, Magnus can get him down relatively soon. He looks like he’s bound to fall back asleep any second now.

After Taako gets his popsicle, Magnus takes the long way back. He moves in soothing, bouncing steps, walking around their living room until Taako is visibly drifting off. Small drops of melting popsicle stain Magnus’s shirt, but Magnus resigned himself to a week of nonstop laundry a while ago.

Magnus won’t lie. He’s worried. Taako’s doing better than he was yesterday, and even if that isn’t much, it’s still an improvement. It would be ideal if he had backup or even just some sort of helping hand, but he knows that’ll be a long shot. Even if he can get through to Merle, it’s going to take some poking and prodding first.

So for now, he’ll take what he can get.

And Taako’s fever coming down, no matter how slightly, is the most he could ask for.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying my best here ;-;

Magnus doesn’t see much of Merle for the next day or so.

It’s not a surprise, considering how they left things off, but he thought at least he’d see a _hint_ of Merle, but no. No trace of him since their altercation in the kitchen. It makes Magnus wonder, is he just not leaving his room for meals or is he that good at stealth?

It’s fine. Well, not really, but Magnus doesn’t have time to really stew on it.

Taako’s fever has gone down a little, but not enough to show a notable change. It’s still hard for him to breathe, and keeping down food is still near impossible, but he’s been sleeping a little easier.

The only catch is that he refuses to sleep by himself.

He won’t even thinking of closing his eyes if Magnus isn’t in the room with him, so Magnus doesn’t have much of a chance to slip away and eat or shower. At least he doesn’t have to worry about soup being kicked in his face anymore. That takes down the need to shower by quite a bit.

Taako is half-dozing on his shoulder, but his runny nose is keeping him from drifting off all the way.

Magnus is surfing through channels, hoping the drone of the TV will eventually be enough to put Taako under. Stubborn as Taako is, he’s a little less so when he’s sick. Magnus almost skips right over Fantasy Food Network, but a familiar face catches his eye.

Taako doesn’t look much different, except for the shorter hair. He’s beaming, clearly in his element as he walks the audience through the components of an ultimate dessert platter. Every so often, a person Magnus doesn’t recognize drifts in and out of frame, setting aside ingredients and dropping a snappy one-liner.

Magnus never knew Taako had an assistant on his show. Why hadn’t he mentioned that before?

Taako stirs.

“Hey, little buddy, look who’s on TV!”

Taako lifts his head, focusing his bleary gaze on the direction of the television. It’s a long, delayed second before he recognizes himself.

“Yeah, that’s you!”

Taako smiles, only for the smile to immediately drop off his face. Magnus looks between him and the screen, trying to see what changed, but nothing has. The screen still shows Taako and his assistant. He doesn’t even realize Taako’s reaching for the remote until he tugs it out of Magnus’s hand.

Taako fumbles for the right button, jamming one after the other with his thumb until the channel finally turns. Whatever channel he turns to, it’s nothing but infomercials, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“You don’t wanna watch?”

Taako shakes his head.

“Do you want me to find something else or do you wanna learn about the Spell Slot Handy Wand?”

Taako taps the side of the remote. He’s probably looking for the channel buttons, but his coordination isn’t good enough to find them.

“Okay, I’ll try to find some cartoons.”

Taako settles back into his side, already half asleep. Magnus isn’t sure if he’s acting or just that genuinely tired, but he won’t push it. That look on Taako’s face… it’s something he’s only seen a handful of times. Enough to know it’s not good, enough to know that it’s a sore spot, but also enough to know that the last thing Taako would want to do is talk about it.

Magnus won’t push it, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t curious. Taako never mentioned having an assistant, and as someone who’s sat through Taako’s stories about something as small as the _lighting setup_ , he knows that’s out of place enough to be suspicious.

He wonders what happened between them.

~

Magnus stays close for a few more hours, just in case Taako is still faking, but after a bit, even someone as stubborn as Taako couldn’t keep up the act for that long.

It’s a good thing too. Curled up in a mountain of blankets, watching cartoons, Magnus could feel smallness niggling in the back of his mind, but he’s trying his best to push the thought away.

Taako needs him right now, and once Taako’s fever has broken, maybe then he can think about regressing, but it’s out of the question right now.

Magnus slips out from under Taako, noting how he bonelessly flops back against the pillows. Yeah, there’s no doubt that he’s actually asleep.

Magnus makes the most of the time, taking a quick shower and cobbling together a warm meal afterward. Honestly, it’s just a sign that Taako has him wrapped around his little finger, because he spends the majority of the time worrying that Taako might wake up or that the humidifier might have shut off in Magnus’s absence.

Sighing, Magnus succumbs to the inevitable boredom from staring into an empty bowl of oatmeal. What could he even do with free time at two in the morning anyway? Might as well get back under the warm blankets and watch Fantasy George Lopez reruns with the sound off and subtitles on.

But as he heads back to Taako’s room, the voice on the other end of the door makes Magnus stop short.

“Hey, buddy, sorry to wake you up.”

It’s Merle.

“Drink some of this, okay? It should help.”

Magnus’s eyes stray back to the kitchen. That explains the missing sippy cup.

Taako coughs, a deep, desperate cough that sounds like he’s trying to move every ounce of congestion in his chest.

“How’s that feel, huh?”

Taako cough again, but then, much to Magnus’s surprise, he _answers_. “Better!” His voice is raw and scratchy from the days of coughing and vomiting, but he sounds so happy that Magnus’s heart melts.

“Good. That was my ma’s old recipe. Glad to know it works for elves too.”

“’s good.” Taako agrees. There’s a pause, probably for Taako to guzzle down what’s left. “More?”

Merle chuckles, his voice impossibly fond. “Tomorrow, okay? It takes a little while to make.”

“T’anks, Emmy.” While he sounds much better, it’s easier now to tell how stuffed up his nose is. Magnus makes a mental note to get the humidifier running again.

“Go back to sleep, kiddo.”

“’Tay.”

There’s a shuffle of blankets that Magnus just knows is Merle tucking him in, before the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. The polite thing to do would be to give Merle the space he needs to make his escape.

It’s a shame Magnus never claimed to be polite, especially running on a few hours of sleep.

He makes sure to catch Merle right as he’s leaving, just so Merle knows he’s been caught red-handed. “Aww, you _do_ care!” Magnus teases.

The heat in Merle’s face rises. “Oh, bite me.”

“Sensitive, caring, Grandpa Merle making a special recipe for his sick baby.”

Merle levels a finger at Magnus’s face, his face dropped in a defensive scowl. “I’m warning you.”

Magnus takes a step back. “Okay, okay. Sorry. The last thing I want to do is bully a sweet old man.”

“Keeping talking and see how much I help you.” Merle warns.

It feels too easy to make the obvious joke, so Magnus refrains and lets him leave. After all, it wouldn’t do either of them any good if he keeps roasting Merle for helping out. He doesn’t know what Merle gave Taako or if it’ll even help, but he’ll gladly take any contribution he can.

As expected, Taako is right where Magnus left him, curled up on his side, arms splayed out in front of him and paci tucked in between his lips. His face looks less red, but the poor thing still looks exhausted. The only difference from now and when Magnus last saw him is the empty sippy cup hanging from his fingers.

“Alright. Move over.” He carefully nudges Taako against the far wall and slides into the empty space. Taako immediately cuddles up against his chest. Magnus can already tell he’s breathing a little easier.

And thank the gods for that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An ending is an ending, I suppose. Let's try not to think about the wasted potential.

Come morning, Merle greets them both with another sippy cup full of his mother’s brew.

Before Magnus is even awake enough to register what’s happening, little hands are shooting out over him, groping for the cup in question.

“Glad to know I’ve got a fan.” Merle jokes.

“Good.” Taako says. He probably means that the drink is good, Magnus figures. It’s going to be hard to figure out his meaning when he only works in one-word sentences.

Merle’s in a good mood this morning, petting Taako’s hair and asking him how he’s feeling. The most he can get out of Taako is that he’s tired, wants to sleep, and his chest feels achy, but considering who they’re speaking to, that’s quite the accomplishment for Merle. He even lets Magnus sneak out for breakfast while he entertains Taako. Magnus guesses this must be his way of making up for his absence.

Magnus takes the chance to fix himself a bowl of oatmeal and go through the messages on his Stone of Farspeech.

There aren’t many—just a couple of check-ins from Lucretia and Angus he hadn’t had the chance to get to yet. But more notably, Avi left a message on his Stone of Farspeech, mentioning something about “bringing in reinforcements.” Turns out he left them a few containers of Tupperware full of soup about an hour ago, which, while not Taako’s favorite, he does agree to eat this time around.

He still doesn’t have much of an appetite, but he’s eating, and Magnus takes that as a victory. It’s a little disappointing that he agrees to eat because of Merle, but Magnus refuses to let jealousy get the better of him when Taako still needs them both. The last thing Magnus would do is make things harder on him because of infighting.

Turns out he and Merle are a pretty good team, even dealing with a sick baby. Merle’s able to keep him hydrated and Magnus is always around to snuggle when he’s feeling sleepy, so between them, Taako gets on the upswing pretty fast.

His fever breaks on the sixth day.

Admittedly, Magnus feels bad about pushing Taako, still half-delirious from sleep, straight into the shower, but it _was_ doctor’s orders. That, and Magnus will gladly jump at any chance that Taako could be getting better soon. The water has barely started running by the time Magnus and Merle have gotten to work.

Merle strips Taako’s bed and grabs Chester to get them washed, because Chester especially needs a good washing, and Magnus grabs a pack of disinfectant wipes and goes about scrubbing down everything he, Merle, or Taako has touched in the past week.

It’s kind of weird to be in a whirlwind of activity again, but Magnus can’t say he hates it. It’s nice to have something to do that isn’t just lie around and keep Taako company, even if they are still stuck in their apartment.

By the time the water shuts off, their apartment has been thoroughly scrubbed down once, Taako’s sheets washed, the pacis disinfected, and every square inch smelling of lemon.

There’s a pause. Magnus looks to Merle, but Merle isn’t paying attention. Magnus jiggles his leg. Despite a full week of minimal movement, Magnus suddenly can’t sit still.

“Should I go check on him?” he asks.

“We both know it doesn’t matter what I say.” Merle answers, and true to his word, Magnus is already making his way to their shared bathroom.

Magnus knocks. “Taako? How you holding up in there, bud?”

A soft, whiny voice answers him. “Need help, Maggie.”

Magnus internally slaps himself. Of course Taako would have trouble standing upright. He pushes his way inside to find Taako half-trapped in his shirt and can barely keep himself from laughing.

It’s not right to wish Taako stays sick, but he can’t help but wonder what other cute things Taako might do if he’s this little and this uncoordinated as he continues to recover.

Magnus tugs Taako’s shirt down over his head, trying not to giggle over how Taako looks like a drenched kitten. Tired as he is, he’s still wide-eyed and off-kilter, watching any and all movement like it’s the most interesting thing in the universe.

“How are you feeling, buddy?” Magnus asks, carefully combing back his hair.

Taako whines again, lowering his eyes. “Sleepy.”

“Let’s get back to bed, then. The worst of it should be over.” Magnus isn’t sure if that’s true, but he certainly hopes it is. At least he’s talking. At least he’s eating. That’s all Magnus cares about.

Taako stumbles a little as they head back to bed, so Magnus easily loops an arm around his waist. Taako whines, shifting uncomfortably under the touch but not completely shrinking away. He must still be achy, poor thing. Maybe Magnus should give him a painkiller too.

Taako all but collapses into bed, immediately hugging Chester once he’s within reach.

“Alright, move over.”

“ _Nooooo_ ,” Taako whines, pushing weekly at Magnus’s chest to stop him from even sitting down.

“Oh, you want your space?” Magnus asks, backing up a step. The last thing he wants to do is crowd Taako when he’s already sick.

Taako nods, curling up on his side away from the noise. If he didn’t still have the sniffles, he probably would’ve pulled the covers over his head by now.

“Okay, just let us know when you’re up. You know where to find us.” Trying not to look personally hurt, Magnus returns to the living room and plops down beside Merle on the couch.

“I thought dogs weren’t allowed on the moon.” Merle quips. “You look like a lost puppy.”

“You know what, now that he’s doing better, I don’t feel bad about giving you shit. So thanks so much for your 50% participation, Merle.”

“Bite me. You know how long it takes to make that brew? It’s not like I wanted to ditch you.”

Magnus quirks an eyebrow. “Right.”

“Okay, I kind of wanted to ditch you, but you had it handled.” Merle shakes his head. “Stop worrying about the kid, he’ll be fine. Get slammed or something. Read a book. I don’t know. But stop looking like that. It’s making me feel bad.”

In the end, Magnus settles on reading a book. He’s barely paying attention, but it’s better than sitting there and doing nothing, so he counts it as a win.

Taako gets approximately an hour and a half of sleep, which Magnus knows for one specific reason.

“Hello?” _Ring, ring, ring!_ “I need attention!” _Ring, ring!_ “Can anyone spare…” _Ring, ring, ring!_ “…But one crumb of attention?”

“Sounds like he’s doing better.” Magnus is already on his feet, fetching an orange juice popsicle. Even if Taako's throat isn’t hurting, coming in with a treat could never hurt.

“I’ll give him attention if you get rid of that damn bell.”

“Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


End file.
